Glass Storage from Duralex, Anchor Hocking & Bodum

Some may not think that storage pieces for the kitchen are sexy. Who cares about about containers for leftovers when you can have pink mixers and steampunk teapots? But storage containers are a practical, everyday necessity for all of us, and frankly I was more excited to see the great glass storage on display at Housewares than almost anything else.

I'm in the middle of switching over from plastic to glass storage containers, so the vast array of glass storage this year was really exciting. I think that the backlash against plastic has prompted nearly every glass and storage manufacturer to create their own line of storage pieces for the kitchen. Here are three of my favorites.

Anchor HockingAnchor Hocking is an old American company, and their glass is still made in Lancaster, Ohio (near where I grew up!). I appreciate buying local, and Anchor Hocking is still quite local to me. Their new line of glass storageware was on display at Housewares. It was all still in prototype form, but it should be available soon. I loved the vintage style — it's a throwback to those vintage fridge containers of the 1950s, with the ribbed glass. The lids to the square pieces are glass as well, with bright green silicone rims and seals. They also had great batter bowls with plastic lids that hinge open so you can pour easily without taking the whole lid off.

Two thumbs up for this stuff; it looks really terrific in person. And given that it's Anchor Hocking I expect a very reasonable price as well.

DuralexDuralex makes the iconic French Picardie tumbler (I have scads of these in my house and use them to hold everything from cold drinks to hot drinks to cocktails to candles). Their products are made out of tempered glass, which means that they can go from the freezer to the fridge to the oven. You can drop them on a hard floor and they will not shatter (most of the time!). Their line of glass storageware is really lovely, and a very nice shape. It has that solid tempered glass I love in all the Duralex lines. I do worry a bit about the lids; they are BPA-free and dishwasher-safe, but they look like they may warp in the dishwasher.

BodumBodum has branched out from their traditional tea and coffee wares. They have been doing this for some time, but this year they really made a splash. I especially loved these baking and storage dishes with multipurpose silicone lids. The dishes are freezer and oven safe, and the lids can double as trivets on the table. Very nice! These should be available very shortly — within the next month or so.